Urgent Action:

3 revolutionaries brutally murdered in Tokat by terror squads of the Turkish state

Confirmed reports from Turkey tell of horrific incidents of cold-blooded murder of revolutionaries and democratic people by the Turkish security forces. The latest took place on 2nd March at 10.00pm in Tokat, Amsaya. This incident was brought to light by a passenger on a coach travelling to Istanbul from Almus reporting to the press. The witness said: "We were stopped by a group of gendarmes about 30 km from Tokat. We were told that everyone was going to be searched. On the side of the road there was a stationary car with all its doors wide open. On the road next to the car there were two bodies lying in blood partially covered in newspapers. It was clear that they were men. When we were evacuated from the coach, we saw a badly wounded woman in the car. She told us "they killed my friends. They are going to kill me too. Please help us. Report this to the human rights organisations." Then, the gendarmes started beating us and swearing at the injured women pushed us back in the coach and the driver was told to move immediately. The coach driver's assistant was badly beaten because they said he was too slow." Later on the body of the women was also found murdered.

Other reports have confirmed the original information and 2 of 3 of those murdered have been identified. They are Semma Dincer and Erdogan Kaya. The identity of the third person is still not known. His body and the body of S. Dincer are being transferred to Izmir. E. Kaya's body is being transferred to Istanbul, Maltepe.

Around the same time the bloody incident in Tokat was taking place a similar murderous attack took place in Istanbul. Onder Babat a sympathiser of the magazine Devrimci Hareket (Revolutionary Democracy) was assassinated in front of the office of the said magazine in Taksim square. He was shot in the head following a execution style killing. Onder Babat's body will be sent to Dersim.

We, the International League of Peoples' Struggle expressing our most heartfelt sympathies with the families and friends of those martyred, condemn the state sponsored murder of progressive people and revolutionaries in Turkey. We hold the Turkish state directly responsible for these murderous acts. We further believe that the public claims of the improvement of human rights records by this fascist regime and its imperialist masters are nothing but lies and that the recent reforms in law such as the abandoning of the death sentence, is nothing but window dressing that is designed to satisfy the western public opinion in order ease the Turkey's acceptance in to the EU.

It is nothing but sheer hypocrisy that while EU leaders and the media are applauding the removal of the capital punishment in Turkey and that there is no legality to issuing of the death sentence, as the incidents in Tokat and Istanbul indicate the systematic execution of progressives and democratic people continues unabated.

We call on all democratic and freedoms loving organisations and individuals across the world to join us in expressing our abhorrence at these barbaric acts of terror and intimidation against the people by the security forces in Turkey.

ILPS General Secretariat
4/3/2004

Urgent Action:
You can express your concern and call on the Turkish authorities and the European Union to independently investigate these atrocities by sending letter of protest to the following: